I Call Her Princess
by AliasCWN
Summary: Hitch takes on a responsibility that helps calm him but makes Troy nervous.


**I Call Her Princess**

By: AliasCWN

Sam Troy looked up in surprise as Mark Hitchcock walked past his tent leading a horse. Taking a second look to be sure that was really seeing what he thought he was seeing; he jumped to his feet and hurried after the pair.

"Hitch!"

Hitchcock stopped and waited for his sergeant to catch up.

"What are you doing with that horse?"

""She's mine."

Troy looked at his driver in disbelief. His driver had been feeling stressed lately but Troy had not thought that he was so close to the deep end. "Again, what are you doing with the horse? You can't keep her."

"I know Sarge." The blond answered sheepishly. "I was in town and I saw this Arab abusing her and I couldn't just stand there and watch."

"So you just took her? The MPs aren't looking for you on an assault charge are they?"

"No!" Hitch exclaimed in shock. "I bought her Sarge. He was more than happy to part with her."

Troy studied the thin, smallish, mare with a critical eye. Her coat was dull and rough with patches rubbed bare from a harness. There were numerous oozing sores on her emancipated frame. She hung her head like she didn't have the energy to hold it up. Looking her over, he noticed that her hooves were dry and cracked. She obviously hadn't been eating well, and the welts from a whip made her coat stand up in a crisscross pattern.

"So what are you planning on doing with her? Headquarters won't let you keep her here and we move around a lot. Who is going to take care of her?"

Before Hitchcock could answer, Tully came around the row of tents. At the sight of the horse standing in front of his tent, he froze.

"Tully." Troy nodded to his second driver, secretly amused by his reaction to seeing the horse. While different from his own, it was just as dramatic.

"What is that?"

"It's a horse." Hitch stated indignantly

"Are you sure? Cause I've seen a few horses back home, and none of them looked like that." Tully eyed the horse like it was a ticking time bomb about to go off.

"I'm sure." Hitch snorted. "She just needs a little TLC and she'll be fine."

"Somebody lied to you Hitch, that animal doesn't need a little TLC, she needs a whole truck load." Turning to Troy, Tully paused to decide how to frame his question. "You aren't planning some new mission using this horse, are you Sarge?"

Troy snorted. "Of course not. She'd probably drop over before we got a mile out of camp."

"Arab horses are tough Sarge." Hitch was quick to point out.

"Not that tough." Troy responded. Turning back to Tully, he noticed the way the Kentuckian was eying the animal. "Something wrong Tully?"

"No." Tully answered. "Not as long as you aren't planning on using a horse in our next mission. You know how I feel about horses."

"They aren't jeeps." Hitch and Troy said in unison.

"I was going to say that I could follow you in a jeep, but if you aren't planning on using her, I guess I have nothing to worry about."

Troy hid a smile at Tully's admission. They were all aware of his aversion to riding anything with four legs. He saved his enthusiasm for transportation with wheels. Four was his preferred number but he would drive a truck in a pinch.

"So what's she doing here Sarge?" Tully finally asked. Now that he knew that he wouldn't be required to ride her, Tully really took a close look at the mare. "Somebody should have taken better care of her."

"That's what I said!" Hitch exclaimed. "So when I saw her being abused, I had to help her."

"Great, now get rid of her." Troy growled, not without sympathy. "Find her a good home, but get rid of her."

"I will Sarge," the blond agreed, "I never planned on keeping her."

"You mean you actually planned ahead before you bought her?" Tully asked with more than a little skepticism.

Hitch blushed a deep shade of red. "Well, no, I just acted. That old Arab was using a whip on her!"

"Hitch!"

"I had to save her Sarge. You understand, don't you?"

Troy nodded, his eyes still on what Hitch called a horse. She sure was one sorry looking specimen. "Okay. Now that you bought her, what are you going to do with her?"

Hitch looked at his friends. "I was hoping that someone could keep an eye on her while I go to the Arab quarter and try to find a stall I can rent for her."

"She needs more than just a stall Hitch." Tully warned.

"I know. I'll find her some feed and start fattening her up."

"I'm not eating a horse." Tully joked. "I may not like riding them but I don't want to eat one either."

"Nobody is going to eat Princess.!"

"Princess?" Tully laughed at the name that Hitch had given the horse. "She looks more like a beggar to me."

"I named her after my sister's pony; she's the same color." Hitch responded in a huff. He held tightly to the rope around the bony neck protectively. "You don't have to help me take care of her, I can do it myself." Tugging gently on the rope, he attempted to lead the mare away. The mare sighed and slowly shuffled her feet to follow her new master.

"Hold it Hitch!" Tully called after his friend. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize you were so serious about this. What can I do to help?"

The blond stopped and looked back at his two friends. "I just need someone to keep an eye on her while I go into the Arab quarter and make all the arrangements."

"Go ahead Hitch, we'll watch her until you get back." Troy stepped around the horse and took the rope from his hand. "She'll be fine here."

"Thanks Sarge." He turned to glare at Tully. "And nobody is going to eat her."

"Not while we're around anyway." Tully promised.

Hitch gave the mare a soft pat on the neck before leaving. "You stay here girl, you'll be safe here. Just don't listen to Tully; nobody is going to eat you. I'll be right back."

Troy stood holding the rope as his driver disappeared among the rows of tents.

"Now what?"

Tully's question startled him. "Now we take care of Princess until Hitch gets back."

"What's he planning on doing with her?"

"That's his problem." Troy responded. "I just know he's not keeping her. We can't move her from base to base and he can't take care of her long distance."

"She sure is a mess."

"Yeah." The sergeant agreed. "I can see why Hitch felt she needed saving." He handed the rope to Tully. "Here, why don't you find a place to tie her where we can keep an eye on her?"

"Right Sarge, I just hope she doesn't drop over before Hitch gets back."

Troy grunted. Since he couldn't rule out the possibility he just nodded and returned to his tent. He left the flap open so he could see the horse from his cot.

During the time that Hitch was gone, a lot of soldiers walked by and stopped to look at the mare. There were quite a few disparaging comments made about her appearance. Tully sat in some shade where he could keep an eye on her since he didn't know how well she tied. The last thing that he wanted to have to do was tell Hitch that she had gotten away while in their care.

By the time the blond returned Tully had heard so many insults to the animal that he was starting to feel protective of her. He was glaring at anyone who paused to look at her. Most of the soldiers, seeing the glare, moved on without voicing their opinions.

Hitch returned looking satisfied with himself.

"What's up?" Tully climbed to his feet as the blond approached.

"Nothing." Hitch replied as he reached for the rope. "I found a place to keep her…and I hired an Arab kid to take care of her when we're out on patrol." He was looking at the scrawny mare critically. "Do you think she needs a bath?"

"A bath?" Tully turned to study the mare although he had just spent better than an hour watching her. "I guess it couldn't hurt. It looks like she's been lying in her own manure. Cleaning it off would help some of those sores heal faster."

"That's what I thought too." Hitch said, a determined look on his face. "Do you think you could help me?"

"Sure," Tully shrugged, "Why not?"

Tully held the horse while Hitch gathered a pail of water, some soap, and a handful of rags.

Princess, in the meantime, dropped her hip, lowered her head, and promptly fell asleep.

"Do you think she likes baths?" Hitch wondered aloud.

"I guess we'll find out." Tully sighed, resigned to doing just that.

Hitch dipped a rag in the bucket and lathered it with soap. The minute the dripping cloth touched her coat, the mare jerked awake. That's when things suddenly became interesting.

The mare threw her head up, eyes wide and nostrils flaring. She jerked the rope out of Tully's hand before he realized what was happening. Rearing up, she backed away from Tully hurriedly, trying to get away. Hitch jumped out of the way as the horse backed into a neighboring tent, collapsing it. As the tent fell, it tangled around the frightened animal's legs. A muffled yell from inside the tent sent her surging forward.

Tully dove for the rope, missing by inches. He had to roll to the side as the terrified animal lunged past him, kicking at the clinging tent. The ruckus immediately drew a crowd with men shouting advice. Their well -intended calls did nothing to calm Princess, in fact, it only served to frighten her even more. The horse bolted for a space between two tents, narrowly missing an MP coming to investigate the disturbance. Someone lunged for the trailing rope, snagging it and turning the mare in a circle. When the lead pulled taut, the mare stopped, huffing and puffing from her brief but violent exertion.

Hitch ran toward the horse, slowing as he realized the mare had stopped. Not wanting to frighten her again, he held out his hand to allow her to sniff his fingers. He took the rope from the soldier and thanked him for his help.

"This your horse?" The MP asked as Hitch turned to leave.

"Yeah." Hitch answered, waiting for an angry outburst for all the trouble Princess had caused.

"She needs more to eat."

"Yeah, I know, that's why I bought her. Her last owner abused her."

"What's her name?"

"Princess."

Hitch relaxed as the MP broke out laughing. "You know, I should haul you in just for giving her that name." The Mp gasp once he had quit laughing. "Don't you think she's got enough troubles without a name like Princess?"

Hitch shrugged. "That may be, but I named her after my sister's pony." Hitch dropped his eyes. "It kind of made it seem like she was closer." The blond looked up at the now sober MP. "Besides, once I fatten her up, she'll look like a princess. Just look," he lifted the mare's head in his hands, "look at those beautiful eyes; she's intelligent. She has that fine Arab face, the slight dish with the wide forehead. She has nice straight lines and a nicely arched neck. All she needs is someone to give her a good home and plenty of feed."

The MP stepped back and pictured the horse as Hitch described her. "You may have something there Private, …but you're going to have to do it somewhere else. You just can't keep a horse in your tent."

Hitch looked startled at the idea. "I'm not keeping her in our tent. I rented a stall for her in town."

"Okay then, I guess we're done here." The MP leaned over and gave Princess a pat on the neck. "Get her to her stall before you try to give her a bath. That way the only ones likely to get hurt are the ones that are tormenting her." The MP smiled to take the sting out of his words. Turning away, he ordered the onlookers away, clearing the crowd so that Hitch could walk the horse unhindered to the Arab quarter.

Troy, who had emerged from his tent when the disturbance began, watched them leave with a resigned sigh.

"That didn't go well." Tully drawled as he picked up the bucket and rags Hitch had been using.

"You think?" Troy grinned. "But it did make for some interesting moments."

"It did that Sarge, it sure did that."

The two parted company, each going to their own tent after all the excitement.

Tully was reading a book when Hitch returned. He looked up as the blond ducked through the tent door.

"Get her all settled?"

"Yeah, I did." Hitch smiled. "She really seems to like her new home. The kid, Jafar, hit it off with her right away." The blond smiled as he thought about the horse.

Tully noticed that his friend seemed more relaxed than he had in weeks. "Maybe she's good therapy for you, you've been pretty stressed lately; you look more relaxed now."

"Yeah," Hitch grinned happily, "it feels good to help her."

"But you're still planning on finding her another home, right?" Tully asked suspiciously. "You're not going to try to keep her?"

Hitch just smiled and flopped onto his cot. "I think I need a nap."

"Hitch! Hitch!"

The blond rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head.

As the days turned into weeks and Princess began to gain weight her coat brightened and took on a glossy shine. The biggest change took place in her attitude; she no longer shied from visitors. At first, she would flee to the rear of her stall, afraid of being beaten. Gradually she began to trust again. Any quick movement still spooked her but now she seemed to actually enjoy being brushed. She would stand perfectly still, eyes half closed, and lower her head so they could brush her neck.

Hitch spent all of his free time looking after the mare. Even Troy, Tully, and Moffitt had developed the habit of dropping in to feed her treats. Jafar, the Arab boy hired to care for her, kept a possessive eye on all of her visitors.

"Hitch, Tully, we're moving out in the morning. We could be gone a while on this one, if you have anything you need to do before we leave, get it done." Troy struck his head in the door of their tent to let them know of the assignment.

Both privates nodded their understanding.

Troy met Moffitt in their tent before they left for the mess hall.

"Are the lads coming to supper?"

"Don't know." Troy shrugged. "They know what time we eat if they want to join us."

"Hitch has kept himself rather busy these last few weeks." Moffitt glanced toward the tent shared by the privates. "Curiously enough, the extra work seems to be having a restful effect on him. That horse turned out to be good for him."

"How good is it going to be when he has to give her up?" Troy asked in a worried tone. "He's liable to take it pretty hard. And sooner or later, he's going to have to let her go."

Moffitt made a face. "I see your point."

The two were eating their meal when Tully joined them. "Hey Sarge, Moffitt."

"Tully." Troy nodded. "Where's Hitch?"

"He said he had something he needed to do." Tully answered, digging into his food.

"Was he upset?" Moffitt asked, meeting Troy's eyes.

"Nope."

"Is he going to join us?"

"He didn't say."

"Tully!"

Tully stopped chewing at Troy's impatient tone. He looked up to see both sergeants watching him. "What?"

"Hitch." Troy explained impatiently. "What about Hitch?"

"I don't know Sarge, he seemed fine. He just said that he had something to do."

"Okay, forget it."

The three friends finished their meals and headed back to their tents. Hitch hadn't joined them for the meal and he wasn't in his tent. He was still absent when Tully turned in for the night.

Troy leaned through the door of the private's tent the next morning to find both drivers dressed and ready to go. He looked at Tully and got a shrug in answer.

"We're ready Sarge." Hitch looked up at Troy. "Do we have time to grab breakfast?"

"Sure." Troy replied, trying to determine the young soldier's state of mind.

"Good, I'm starved." Hitch picked up his hat and waited for Tully to grab his helmet.

Moffitt arrived and all four of them headed for the mess hall. They waited in line and got their meals before finding a seat. Troy watched his driver as they ate, noting that he wasn't his usual talkative self. Tully tried to draw him into conversation but all he got was one word answers or grunts in reply.

Hitch was quiet as they walked to their jeeps and completed their final checks of the vehicles.

Before they climbed into the jeeps, Moffitt pulled Troy aside. "Take it easy on him Sam. You know how attached he's become to the animal. Perhaps you should suggest that it is time he finds her a new home, not tell him to get rid of her. Choose your words wisely."

Troy had Tully and Moffitt lead out, setting a moderate pace, so he could talk to his driver.

"You're quiet Hitch."

"I didn't get much sleep last night. I was kind of busy."

"Taking care of that horse? Did you make arrangements for someone to look after her for a while? You know we may be out for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah Sarge."

Troy licked his lips, choosing his words.

"How long is this going to go on?"

Hitch glanced across the jeep at his sergeant. "What's that Sarge?"

"The horse Hitch!" Troy tried to hide his impatience. "How long are you going to keep her?"

"Oh, I gave her away Sarge."

"You gave her away?"

"Yeah. She's got a good home now; that's all I really wanted. Besides, she was just too much work."

Troy turned his head to hide his grin. "So who is her proud new owner?"

Hitch smiled and popped a bubble. "The MP who showed up the day we gave her a bath."

Troy laughed out loud. "You talked the MP into taking her off of your hands?"

"No!" Hitch exclaimed. "He was visiting her every day and he asked what I was going to do with her. He wanted her, and he doesn't change bases as often as we do. He doesn't leave the base on long patrols either. She reminded him of home. I made him promise to take good care of her. When he gets reassigned, or goes home, he promised to give her to Jafar, the kid who takes care of her. That kid has taken a real shine to her."

"So do you have visiting rights?" Troy asked, only half kidding.

"Sure. Heck, there must be two dozen guys from the base who visit her every day. Don't worry about her Sarge, she'll be okay."

"Oh, I'm not worried."

Hitch turned his attention back to driving while Troy leaned back to enjoy the ride.


End file.
